Frost dates by state › North Carolina

North Carolina frost dates

Average last spring and first fall frost dates for North Carolina’s largest cities, with each city’s USDA hardiness zone.

Reviewed October 2026

Among North Carolina’s 20 largest cities, the average last spring frost ranges from Mar 19 in Wilmington to Apr 6 in Asheville. Elevation, distance from the coast and city heat all shift the date, so use your own ZIP code below for the closest match.

City	Average last spring frost	Average first fall frost	Frost-free days	Hardiness zone	Weather station used
Charlotte	Mar 30	Nov 3	218	8a	Charlotte Douglas Airport, NC, 7 mi
Raleigh	Mar 28	Nov 8	225	8a	Raleigh State Univ, NC, 4 mi
Greensboro	Apr 1	Nov 4	217	8a	Greensboro Wtp, NC
Durham	Apr 2	Nov 4	216	8a	Durham, NC, 6 mi
Winston-Salem	Mar 26	Nov 9	228	7b–8a	Winston Salem Rynlds Airport, NC, 3 mi
Fayetteville	Mar 30	Nov 10	225	8a–8b	Fayetteville (Pwc), NC, 7 mi
Cary	Mar 27	Nov 8	226	8a	Apex, NC, 3 mi
Wilmington	Mar 19	Nov 20	246	8b	Wilmington Intl Airport, NC, 4 mi
High Point	Mar 30	Nov 5	220	8a	High Pt, NC, 2 mi
Concord	Apr 1	Nov 2	215	8a	Concord, NC, 3 mi
Greenville	Mar 27	Nov 8	226	8a	Greenville, NC, 3 mi
Asheville	Apr 6	Oct 31	208	7b	Asheville, NC, 2 mi
Gastonia	Mar 27	Nov 9	227	8a	Gastonia, NC, 3 mi
Apex	Mar 27	Nov 8	226	8a	Apex, NC, 3 mi
Jacksonville	Mar 23	Nov 16	238	8b	New River Mcaf, NC, 2 mi
Huntersville	Mar 30	Nov 3	218	8a	Charlotte Douglas Airport, NC, 14 mi
Chapel Hill	Mar 29	Nov 5	221	8a	Chapel Hill Williams Airport, NC
Burlington	Mar 29	Nov 9	225	8a	Burlington Fire Stn #5, NC, 2 mi
Kannapolis	Apr 1	Nov 2	215	7b–8a	Concord, NC, 6 mi
Wake Forest	Apr 4	Nov 4	214	8a	Falls Lake, NC, 8 mi

Frost dates are the dates after (spring) or before (fall) which the chance of a 32°F freeze is below 50%, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals for the weather station nearest each city’s center. Zones are from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the ZIP codes around each city; a range means nearby ZIP codes differ. Cities are the 20 largest by Census Bureau 2024 population estimates.

An average is not a guarantee. There’s still about a 1 in 2 chance of frost after the average last spring date. Many gardeners wait an extra week or two before setting out tomatoes, peppers and basil, and keep covers handy.

Planting dates for Charlotte

Timed from Charlotte’s average last frost of Mar 30, using University of New Hampshire Extension’s planting guidance. For your exact dates, enter your ZIP code in the calendar below.

Crop	Start seeds indoors	Plant outside
Tomatoes	Feb 9 to Feb 23	Apr 6 to Apr 13
Peppers	Feb 2 to Feb 16	Apr 13
Lettuce	Jan 26 to Feb 2	Mar 2 to Mar 9
Broccoli	Jan 19 to Feb 2	Mar 2 to Mar 16
Cucumbers	Mar 9 to Mar 16	Apr 6 to Apr 13
Basil	Feb 16 to Mar 2	Apr 13

When to plant, for your garden

Your seed-starting and planting dates, timed from your last spring frost. Full calendar, 12 crops.

ZIP code

Last frost date

Enter your ZIP code to look up your average last frost date and hardiness zone, or type the date in yourself.

Frost dates: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023, ZIP code data from PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed Oct. 20, 2026.

More about frost dates

How to find your last frost date, and what your zone means · Full planting calendar · How to start seeds indoors

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